patrick.net

I had this come up for recent travel to Asia. I don't think my insurance covered most of the additional vaccinations. My employer did, though, as it was for business travel.

I'd say it's a business decision on the part of the insurance company for these situations. I don't see any moral obligation to cover it - as you point out, you are in need of the vaccination because you are well off enough to travel. Also most health insurance plans don't have very strong coverage if you are out of the country...they may cover some situations, but when I checked with my carrier it was clear to me that I should be buying travel medical insurance.

At $1400 a month, health insurance should cover everything.

Actually health insurance should be hospitalization, and emergency room visits only. Everything else should be out of pocket. It would be a hell of a lot cheaper, if the deskbound day traders, didn't have get their 401K cut of every tongue depressor used in the free world.

50 years ago, there was a limit as to what medicine could treat. With the explosion of medical advancement, we could probably spend the whole country's GDP treating every single ailment and imperfection(actual and perceived) for everyone. This is of course is not feasible and obviously there should be limits. Who should determine these limits. Insurance companies who want to horde the premiums? Doctors who make money treating ailments? (These ailments aren't ravaging third world countries, yet they seem to do fine without treating toenail fungus or sleep apnea). OCD patients who want and think they are entitled to every treatment/MRI/test under the sun cause they(or their employer) pay x amount of dollars per month, and their perusing of webmd has led to the conclusion that they might have every ailment under the sun.

Yes, because people from other countries come here all the time.